Combination harvester thrasher



v Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,679

W. F. M GREGOR COMBINATION HARVESTER THRA SHER original Filed June 19. 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5 1926. 1 55;;

w. F. M GREeoR COMBINATION X IARVESTER THRLASHER Original Filed June 19, 1922 a Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,679

w. F. M GREGOR COMBINATION HARVESTBR THRASHER original Filed June 19, 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 5 1926. 1,568.679

w. F. MMGREGOR COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER Original Filed June 19, 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Jan. 5 1926.

w. F. M GREGoR COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER original Filed June 19, 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 W. F. M GREGOR -COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER iginal Filed n 19. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT .oFFi'cEg WALL/ACE COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER.

Application filed June 19, 1922, Serial No. 569,293. Renewed August 22, 19 25.

To a]! whom it may concern.

Be it known that I. WALLACE F. Mao- Gumou, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county'ot Racine and State of tain new and useful Improvements in Colmbination Harvester Thrashers, of which the following is a spocification. I

My invention relates to improvements in combination harvester-.thrashcrs, the object being essentially to combine such elements in a simple cooperative manner so that the vertical adjustn'ient of the harvester (or header) during its operation in the field otherwise may be facilitated by the counter-balancing effect of. the weight of the tin-usher. without the necessity of employing springs, orcounterbalancing weights as is common. which latter method materially increases the weight and cumbersomeness of the machine, while springs for the purpose do not at all times give the requisite. uniformity of balance during the-Wide range otmovements of such a weighty and unwieldlv elemcntaS a harvester, all as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan of a combination liarvester-thrasher embodying my improvements. portions of the thrashcr being omitted; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view taken on the dotted lines 23-45 in Figs. 1 and 4; Fig. i,

a side elevation of the machinery as seen when looking in the d1rect1on of the arrows 4e invFig. 1; Fig. 5, a side elevation indicating in dotted lines positions in which the harvester and thrasher may be adjusted, as seen when looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows 5-43 in Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a detail elevation ol mechanism which I ma employ for adjusting the harvester and thrashcr; Fig. 7,- a detail showing a lever and its connections with the thrasher and axis: Fig. 8. an under plan of said lever and connections, and Fig. 9 is a detail sectional "view on the dotted line 99 in 6.

ltwwill be understood that reference to the machine generally comprehends a harvester or header for cutting and gathering stand- Visconsin, have invented cerr. Miwenneon. or RACINE. WISCONSIN, assrouoa T0 J. I. CASE THRESHIN macmnn COMPANY. OF nAcmE. WISCONSIN. A CORPORATIKfiEi ing grain and delivering the same 'to th'rasher to be thrashedand separated, these seem elements being so combined as to tra'vel together and to c0-ac in harvesting crops 1n the manner indicated. .In the drawings the harvester, 5, is secured to the thrasher, (l. in the relative position as shown in'Fig.

1, said harvester'being of any preferred .1;-

form embodying the usual platform, 7, carnor, 8, 8, reehf), and other accessoriesaiid detail mechanisms for connectingjand operating such parts, the end of the harvester adjacent. the thrasher being connected thereto and driven by flexible means, such forexample'as thelink l0 and associated; parts, for driving the harvesting machine from the thrasher. The grain-Wheel, ljly of'the iharvcster and the carrying wheels 12,,'13,1of..;

the thrasher are mounted upon 'a,..co,mmon axle. 15, which I have shownas comprising piping which may be continuous of coupled at various points in its length. as desired,

but which as a whole is adaptedfto rotate or rock, from'end to end in said wheels-Lin the maitner and for the purpose to .be" de scribed; The harvester 5 is fixedly support ed upon the axle 15 by meansoffsupporting members, 17, which are secured, at l8','to

brackets, 19, the latter in turn being fixedly secured to said axle 15, the forward'ends of said members 17 being preferably upwardly inclined and ivotally connected,jat 20, to the platform fixedly secure standards, 21, able supporting devices upon which [mount links or supporting members, 23, which are connected attheir forward endear 24-, to the harvester 5, said supporting members being preferably adjustably attachable to the devices upon which they are mounted, as indicated by'the bolt holes, 25, 26, therein appearing in Fig. 5. The supporting members Also upon said mile 15' I or other suit- 17 and 23 are in substantially parallel relation. andcooperate in sustaining and guiding the harvester 5 in its'various movements as will-hereinafter appear, and Imay further brace said harvester-to the axle 15 as may be desired. Said axle .15 and the parallel lilfili'llmlfi 17 and 23 supporting frame for the harvester 5, but in in effect constitute the order to insure the proper positioning of Wheel it relatively to the thrasher 6 I (3011- nect said frame to the thrasher 6 by a detachably mounted brace-rod, 30, preferably pivotally connected to the thrashe'r, at 31, and to the axle 15 by a bracket, 32, pivotally mounted thereon, said brace-rod 30and axle 15 being connected by a supporting link, 33, secured to said brace-rod and a standard 21 on the axle, which supporting link main tains standard 21 in up i ,ht position and with one of the links 23 1) cooperates as a continuous strengthening or thrust-rod during movements of the harvester 5. It

will be noted in Fig. 1 that the axle 15 is sectional, that is to say, it embodies a flexible joint, 35, preferably adjacent the thrasher, which device in connection with the telescoping link 10 and the ivotally connected brace-rod (at 31) permit the harvester or header 15 through its grain-wheel 1] to follow undulatory or irregular ground conditions independently of the thrasher, and

also as said shaft 15 in such respect is flexible and as the brace-rod 30 and supporting link 33 are detachable, it will be understood that by removing these elements the hervester or header 5 may be swung around or folded in parallel relation to the thrasher-tl, in which position the harvester and thrasher elements are assembled in comparatively compact condition for storage or other purposes.

The thrasher Wheels 12, 13, are mounted upon the axle section, 15', and upon which the thrasher 6 is supported, said thrasher, as will be understood, being equipped with a motor, 40, at its forward end for actuating the thrasher and separating mechanisms thereof, as Well as the-harvester, the combined thrasher-harvester being drawn by animad or tractor power as desired, while the forward end of the thrasher frame is supported upon a steering-wheel, 41, as' desired. Said thrasher 6 is connected to the axle portion, 15, by one or more levers, 45, of any apropriate construction, that indicated in l igs. 5 and 7 comprising straps surrounding said axle portion 15' and rigidly secured thcrcto by bolts or pins, 46, or otherwise. its end being pivotally mounted, at 47, in a bracket or hanger. 48. which as fixedly secured to the lower side of the thras'ner. and as many of said dcviccs as are considcrcd rcquisitc may be installed. in the present instance two being sullicicnt. that is. one at cach side of thc thrashcr, but I desire to bo undcrstood that othcr forms of lovers or cquiralcnt devices may be cmploycd, the form M such dcviccs illustrated for the purpose having bccn demonstrated in i practical uuu-hiuc ol' the charm-tor disclosed,

i\l:ulliuc1' of thc character uudcr cousidcraliou it is r-ui-ognizcd is oi wry weighty and cumbcrsouh proportions rcquiring conessors vantageous but when considering the importance of saving grain in regionsin which such machinery is applicable the problem of alleviating manual labor must also be seriously considered, and my object is to reduce the difiiculty of such operation. and

labor and consequently the cost of harvesting a crop, as the instrumentalties which I employ for adjusting the harvester and thrasher are readily responsive to slight effort of manipulation by an operator.

To facilitate the manipulation of the harvester and thrasher I' assemble with the latter, adjacent to the harvester, a plat form, as 50, for the accommodation of an attendant, and associated with such platform is mechanism under control of the attendant for vertically moving both the harvester and thrasher. Such mechanism may consist of any appropriate devices for the purpose, but for illustration I have shown a rack-bar, 51 positioned upon said platform, having a downwardly extending rod, 52, connected to the harvester 5, as at 5, the rack-bar engaging a pinion, 53, which latter may be connected to a tiller-wheel, 54, or other instrumentality for raising and lowering said rack-bar and consequently harvester 5.

In operation of a combined harvesterthrashcr of the character which is the subject hereof, it will be understood that the cutting and conveying mechanisms of the harvester are usually actuated by mechanisms connected to the thrasher, the thrashing and separating elements of the latter being operated from-a source of power such as its motor, but such' details of construction and operations being no part of my present invention will not be specifically described herein, as it is obvious that any suitable system of mechanisms may be employed for producing, the neccssary co-action between the harvester and thrashe'r for gathering and thrashing the grain, as hereinbcforc indicated. However, in employing my invention to accomplish the results reicrrcd to certain simplicity of manipulation and advantageous results are attained conscqucnt upon the arrangement and operation of my improvcd mechanisms for the purpose, which I will, now proceed todcscribc. The machinc as a wh0lc-----thc combined thrashcr and harvcslcr or hcudcr-- is drawn through thc lichl oi grain by mechanical or animal power and thc sclcclcd motor powcr is sct in operation to uctualc llli scpuruting mechanisms embodied in the lhrashcr. thc sickle or cutter-bars. 7, of thc harvester being in sinmltancous operation with the th'rashcr through the connection of the mechanisms comprising part of both elements. As

standing grain is encountered requiring cutting close to the ground bynthe harvester,

the latter is lowered or depressedby tl1eattendant upon manipulationof the, rackbar 51' or other device for the purpose'so that the cutter-bar 7 Fig. 5, which position of said platform and cutter bars is maintained by the parallel supporting members 17,23. However, such I dotted lines indicate the lowermost position of the harvester platform. but it will be understood that when the grain crop has been so developed as to require its cutting or according to the height of \the standing grain, and which work and position may be readily determined and controlled by the attendant upon platform 50, and it willbe understood also .that during such adjustments of the harvester its platform 7 is sus} tained in practically horizontal position by,

the supporting members 17,. 23, so that the headed grain rcceivedlthereon will be retained and to be conveyed to the supple mental carrier 8 and thence into the thrasher 6. \Vhen such attendant is lowering said harvester, say to. the

axlelii cause said axleto turn in a clockwise direction, which turning movement throws the ends of the levers 45 upwardly, and as e such levers are rigidly fixed to said axle and are connected by the brackets i8 to the thrasher 6 the result is that said thrasher body 6 is simultaneously raised as the harvester 5 is lowered, and, v1ce versa, as

the harvester is being raised, said thrasher at the same time is 'bein lowered, the position of such lowering'and raising of these elements being indicated by the. dotted lines. .in Fig. 5. In this manner the increased weight of thethrasher through the simple manipulation of the levers actsas a counterbalancing weight against themovement of the harvester in either direction, in other words. the weights of the two elements are counterbalanced intheir opposite movements by the torsional action' of axle 15, which causes said thrasher at the moment when theatte ndant is vertically adjusting-the harvester" or header 5, during which latter manipula- .tion the supporting members'li' are actuat- .ing to rock or impart"'torsional action to axle 15 to cause the thrasherto move vertically in a directionopposite' tothat'of the harvester,- so. thatsaid thrasherand ha rve'st associated with plat- -form 2' of the harvester are in approximate-' ly. the position indicated by dotted lines in,

saitl elements,

position indicated by the dotted lines in- Fig. 5, the rigid conn ec-. tions of the supporting members 17'w1th levers 45 tofraise and lower I thrasher. a harvester, a flexibly jointed axle er elements are being counterbalanced by theweight of the thrasher, which simple action,

will relieve the attendant irom the other wisev arduous'manual labor of endeavor-mg to raise and lower. said harvester to meet the varied heights oi. grain encountered dur- 1. In a combined harvester-thrasher, a

its travel. v

claim as my invention:

supporting wheel for said thrasher, a grain wheel for sa dharvester, a continuous axle mounted in said wheels, and means connecting said harvester and axle by which the latter 'may be. rocked upon the verticalmovement ofsaicl harvester..

2. In a machine of the class describeia thrasher, a harvester flexibly connectedthereto, an axle connecting saidelements, 'means connecting said harvester and axle,

and means connecting said thrasher andharcause its connecting means with said axle to rock the same during such movement and to simultaneously move saidharvester and thrasher in op osite directions.

3. In a mac inc of the class described, a harvester, a thrasher, means for connecting wheels; for supporting said vester for vertically moving the latter to elements, an axle mounted in said wheels,

means for vertically moving said. harvester, and means for simultaneously Il'iOVlIlg said thrasher in opposite directions to saidharvester so that the weightqof said thrasher will counterbalance the mbvements of said harvester. .4. In a machine of theclass describedaa thrasher, a harvester,an.axle connected to" said elements, means connecting vestcr and axle for torsionally rocking the latter when said harvesterris actuated versaid thrasher.

tically, and means connecting and, axle to move-said thrasner in opposite directions to said harvester upon the actuationoi said axle.

5. In a machine @of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, means for flexibly connecting the same,an axleconnecting said elements, substantially parallel members for supporting "said harvester upon said axle,

and. means connecting said thrasher and harvester for vertically moving the latter whereby said supporting members rock said axle and actuate said thrasher connectin means to move said thrasher ina vertica direction simultaneously 'andoppositely to the movements of said harvester.

6; In a machine of theclass described, a

connecting said elements to permit said har vester to follow ground irregularities, and

permitting vertical movement of the latter and rocking movement of said' axle whensaid harvester .is vertically actuated.

for

said har- 3 vertically moving said thrasher when said axle is rocked upon the actuation of said harvester in a vertical direction.

8. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, an axle therebeneatl1,-means f0 pivotally connecting said-thrasher and axle to permit vertical movement of the tbrasher, a harvester c'onnected'to said thrasher, and means connected to said harvester and axle for imparting torsional motion to the latter upon the vertical actuation of said harvester to raise and lower said thrasher in opposite directions to the movements of said harvester.

9. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a vertically movable harvester, a rocking axle connecting said elements, and means connecting said thrasher and axle for permitting vertical movement of said thrashcr upon the rocking motion of said axle whereby the weight of said thrasher counterbalances the weight of said harvester.

10. In a machine of the class described. a

vertically-movable harvester, a vertically movable thrasher body connected thereto, an axle for supporting said elements, and means for raising and lowering said harvester to rock said axle which in turn lowers and raises said thrasher body to counterbalance the weight of said harvester. .11. In a machine of the class described, a harvester, a tbrasher connected thereto, rocking means connecting saidelements. and means for vertically adjusting said harvester and actuating said rocking means to vertically adjust said thrasher.

12. In a machine of the class described, a harvester, a thrasher. an axle connecting said elcmeiits, a member connected to said axle and pivotally connected to said thrashcr, and means for actuating said harvester to rock said axle and raise and lower said thrasher.

13. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher. a harvester, a common axle connecting said thrasher and harvester, pivotal means connecting said thrushci' and axle and permitting vertical movement of the thrasher in relation to said axle. and means for rocking said axle.

14. In a machine of the class described, a thrashcr element, an axle, lever fixedly sccured to said axle and pivotally connected to said thrashcr, a supporting member fixedly secured to said axle. a harvester connected to the opposite end of said member, and mechanism for vertically adjusting said harvester to impart torsional motion to said axle for actuating said lever to vertically move said thraeher. A

15, In a machine of the class-described, a harvester, a thrasher, an axle, means connecting said harvester and axle for torsionally moving the same, mechanism connecting said axle and thrasher for permitting the vertical movement thereof. mechanism connecting said thrashcr and harvester for vertically adjusting the latter, and means associated withsaid mechanism for permitting manual operation thereof.

16. In amachine of the class described, a vertically movable thrasher, a vertically movable harvester, a rocking axle connecting said elements to permit the vertical move ment thereof, meansfor rocking said axle, and means for vertically adjusting said harvester whereby said thrasher is also vertically adjusted.

17. In a machine of the class'described, a thrasher having a carrying wheel, a. harvester having a grain-wheel, an axle embodying a universal joint-connecting said wheels,

and means for torsionally'moving said axle to raise and lower said thrasher.

"18. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher having a carrying wheel, a. harvester having a grain-wheel, an axle conneeting said wheels, means connecting said harvester and axle for torsionally moving the latter upon the vertical movement of said harvester, and means connecting said axle and thrasher for adjusting thelatter upon such torsional movement.

19. In a machineof the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, means for connecting said elements, an axle supporting said harvester, means connecting said axle to said thrasher, means connecting said axle to said harvester, and means for rocking said axle.

20. In a machine of the class described. a thrasher, a harvester arranged in lateral relation thereto, means for flexibly connecting said elements, an axle supporting said harvcster and connected to said thrasher, and means for actuating said harvester and rocking said axle.

21. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, an axle section therefor, a barvester, an axle section for said harvester, means for flexibly connecting said axle sections. and means for actuating said axle sections and harvester.

In a machine of the class described,a thrasher, a rocking axle for su 'iporting said thrasher, and means connecting said thrasher and axle to permit substantially vertical lllOVGll'lGllll of said thrasher when said axle is rocked.

2 3. In a combined harvcstcr-thrashcr, a supporting wheel for said thrashcr. a grain wheel for said harvester, a continuous axle mounted in said wheels, means courier-time, said thrasher and axle, means connecting said harvester and axle, and means for adjusting said agile and harvester to vertically adjust said thrasher. I

24. In a machine of the class described, a

5 harvester, a thraslier, supporting wheels for I said elements, a continuous rocking axle connecting said Wheels, means for connecting said harvester and axle for vertically moving said harvester, and means for connecting said thrasher and axle for vertical moving I. saidthrasher when said axle is r00 ed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALLACE MACGREGOR. 

